Air pistol used in James Bond posters expected to raise £150,00 at auction

It is the iconic image which made James Bond the coolest spy of the swinging Sixties. But far from giving 007 a licence to kill, the gun used in the posters was capable of causing little more than a nasty bruise.

Ah Mr Bond, not what we were expecting… Sean Connery holds an air pistol instead of his famous automatic (Picture: BNPS)

Sean Connery had to pose with a humble air pistol when someone forgot to pick up his Walther PPK automatic for the photo-shoot.

Photographer David Hurn, a keen target shooter, stepped in with his replica at the last moment.

The image was used in publicity stills for the 1963 film From Russia With Love and three others.

Now the air pistol has been put up for sale with an estimate of £150,000. It will go to auction at Sotheby’s in London on December 12.

The long barrel should have been airbrushed but seemingly the poster designers forgot.

Dr Gabriel Heaton, of Sotheby’s auctioneers, said: ‘Sean Connery clearly had such a presence that it was never questioned. A lot of people presumed it had a silencer attached.’